Stop Worrying About Competitors. Focus on Your Business Instead

I used to sit up at night and wonder how I was going to beat my competition. I know I’m not the only one to do that every night. Visions of my competitors grinding their teeth as Ulistic shot ahead of them would dance in my dreams, and I’d beat myself into the ground whenever I thought I was falling behind.

It was exhausting. Eventually, I had to take stock of my life, and I realized that focusing on my competition was ridiculous. What was it getting me, other than an ulcer? Was it helping me provide better services for my clients? No. It was just making me lose sight of what was really important: MY team.

I started taking all that energy that I spent on keeping up with the competition and turning it towards growing my team – both literally and figuratively. I started bringing on new talent and nurturing the talent that I already had working for me. Instead of trying to go toe-to-toe with other marketing companies, I asked my people what they could do to be better at their work, and started helping them get there.

And I’ve got to tell you, it’s breathed new life into me.

Too many of my clients do the same thing, and these days I spend a lot of time reassuring them that they don’t need to wonder what the MSP a few blocks down is doing. Instead, they’ve got to look at their own messaging and their own offering, and make sure those are in line with what their clients are looking for.

At Ulistic, we emphasize listening to CLIENTS, not competitors. That’s not to say that there isn’t something valuable to learn from other IT companies; you should always know what’s happening in the industry and what techniques are working for other companies like yours. But if you start to get caught up in what your neighbor is doing, you’re just heading down a path that’s going to wear you down.

Talk to your clients and to business owners around your area. Ask them what questions they have about their IT. Find out what their goals are and what they want to see technology do for them. Listen to your partners and to the big players in the channel, and find out what trends are coming up – then take those trends back to your clients and ask more questions!

And then you can change YOURSELF. Build up your team, improve your message, and put your energy towards making your company as amazing as it has the potential to be. When you focus on YOU and not THEM, you can actually start to make a difference.

Only 1 in 100 IT firms think marketing first, but 100 out of 100 want more leads. Ulistic is here to help managed services providers think strategically about their marketing to get more leads while still focusing on running their business. Our team engages with your team every day, providing expert marketing materials and advice to create a foundation for stratospheric success. Learn more at Ulistic.com.